My first reaction to this book was that it was one of the most beautifully written books I have read, one that cries out to be read aloud. Anne Cameron's sentences read like poetry rather than prose, very lyrical and rhythmical. There's no way its content could be fiction; she must have talked with the women memorizers who remember the oral legends for the Vancouver Nootka Native American tribes. Copper Woman is both the mother of the tribe from whom they are all descended and the respected Old Woman that is within each woman helping her to endure, to remember the old secrets and teachings, and to relearn any lost secrets. Copper Woman is there when the "keestadores" turned the Nootka world upside down and is there yet today as the Woman's Society shares its knowledge and soft power with all the women of the world.

This book contains stories from the native people of Vancouver Island, retold by Anne Cameron much as they had been told to her. You will find it is a collection of stories, many about Copperwoman. Though she is more diety than human, her joy and pain are terribly real. Woven throughout the stories are bits and pieces of the present day. As you read you find yourself weaving in and out from past to present and then back to the past again. As I progressed through the book I felt a deep sense of connection with women of all time.

I have taught this book to both men and women on the college level, so I feel that it is not just for girls. You can read it as gentle feminism, as experimental literature, and as a native-American re-telling of white invasions of their culture. It is full of psychological insights, it describes a different way to navigate ocean currents, and it proposes an ideal egalitarian community--in a very brief span, it enlightens many human issues.

This is one of the first books I remember having read, about 17 years ago; I was completely pulled into its "reality" - the feelings the book evoked, the intricate relationships, the complexity and hardship of life. I have just started reading 'Angela's Ashes', and was reminded of 'The Camerons'. I am positive that my mother still has the german version on her shelves, but I would like an english 'original'. Who's the author?? -- I cannot recall a name.

I read the condesnsed version a couple of years ago from a Reader's digest book from 1971, and have been looking for a copy of the full length version ever since. Written in such vivid detail, I was able to picture every scene clearly. The condensed version was great; I'd love to get a copy of the paperback.

I read this book back in highschool and remember being completely mesmerized. It's a family saga with intrigue and adventure all rolled into a great read. Somewhere along the way I misplaced my original copy. I have been hunting for a replacement for years; hope it comes back into print soon.

Jacques' experience as a blind person living through, and participating in, the French resistance was amazing to follow with him through his autobiography; I find no fault in what he presented. I did, however, feel that something was missing from it. There was a painful depth that I knew had to exist within Jacques somewhere that I did not see. What he did do is tell us how beautific the experience was (generally) of being blind for him; he went to great lenght in the first half of the book to let you know that he did not really suffer from his loss; that it was not really a loss to him but actually a lovely thing. I do not doubt that this was true for Jacques but it seemed a bit too sweet for me. Perhaps this is because of my own experiences with loss in my life I wanted to be with someone that expressed more psychological dimension.

Again, no fault to this story; it was well presented and I am glad that I read it; the man was remarkable. It's just something to keep in mind about reading someone's life experience and if you are looking for how someone dealt with the pain of their loss, their struggles with daily life, this book does not go very far toward giving you much of a picture because he did not express much about it at all related to his blindness.

Harper Collins just came out with their list of the 100 best spiritual books of the 20th Century. Yes, another list, but this one intrigued me enough to want to sample the books on the list. And that is how Icame across this remarkable book. Jacques Lusseyran was blinded in an accident at the age of 8, yet was a major force in the French Resistance during World War II, was betrayed and spent time in a Concentration Camp.This is NOT anotherholocaust memoir. Insteadit is an odd, inspiring, beautifully and simply written story, detailinghow one man lived a full spiritual life despite blindness and the presence of great evil. Blindness was not a "handicap" to Lusseyran, instead he reacted to the world in amazing ways. It was a mysticism born out ofcircumstances, not theology. Few books can overwhelm the cynic in me.For a time, this one did.I have sent this book to friends and relatives, who were as surprised and moved as I was. And There Is Light may change you.

This is one of the most incredible books I have ever read! Lusseyran describes and reflects everything inside myself that I never thought I could find in anyone else. He is brilliant! If I could meet anyone who ever walked this planet, Lusseyran would definately be who I'd meet. He has become a role model.

This is the best photographic book I have ever seen. Its pictures of The Big Apple are magnificent! Comparative pictures taken in years past, many in the 1920s, show how sections of the city have changed. Whether one is a fan of New York and who isn't, you will enjoy this book. It makes me want all the other "Above" books now.

This book is really great. I recommend it to anyone who loves NY!

Robert Cameron's book, "Above New York", is one of the best photographic books that I've seen in recent years. Some areas of the city are chronicled from an historic perspective, while other areas are displayed in their modern beauty. I appreciate the juxtaposition of the older photos with their more modern counterparts.

His views of downtown are especially well-done, and in light of recent times, it was a comfort to see the skyline in the traditional beauty. The view of the Twin Towers rising from the battery with Lady Liberty in the foreground seems especially meaningful in these times when our freedom seems threatened.

this was one of the best books i have. this is about a girl name madeline which this story goes during the 1700s fallin in love with a young doctor name justin fier who lives next door to her cousins house which she was sent to live there. but later she is warned by an old woman and a ghost to stay away from him becuase he hides a terrible secret. later in the end she discovers his terrible dark secret. this is really a good book i recommend it 2 any1 who loves these kinds of books.

This book is totally superb! It keeps you on your toes, and saying "don't go to him, he's EVIL" and "run far away, don't let your aunt and uncle talk you into marrying him"!!! Stine produced the perfect amount of detail and suspense. I really think that anyone who likes mystery and horror books should definatly read this book.

This story is very interesting as it has a very good line. It explains the history of how Justin Fear became very powerful and those who knew him had tried to destroy him. Until Madeline a young and beautiful woman, had shifted to Shadowbrook met him and fell in love with his unnatural look and was warned by an old woman and a ghost to leave right away before it's too late. The ending was really good...and I loved it. Keep up the good work R.L.Stine....and keep writing.

I found this an intriguing book, written in the 70s about events taking place presumably in the late 40s early 50s. The title is a bit "melodramatic"...(sounds more like a gothic romance novel)..but the story itself is interesting. I found myself not so much taken by the "ghost story" as the events themselves...50 odd years ago this family was able to lease a mansion for $3600 a year... 17 miles outside of Philadelphia complete with original furnishings and virtually unchanged for many years...surrounded by farms and fields. I am not familiar with this particular area, but I can only imagine what kind of development has overtaken it today. I find myself wondering what became of the "underground tomb" that the author and his son found at the edge of a field. In short,the book's overwhelming impression to me is not so much the ghost story (although it's interesting) as the situation in which the family was involved to let events play out. The author's wife irritated me as she was seemingly more concerned with the dust and dirt the old house generated (typical 50's) than the surroundings themselves. Many pages of how the wife needed a housekeeper to help her keep the house "spotless" and how these employees wouldn't stay (yawn). I couldn't help thinking what I wouldn't give to have experienced the place as these people did! So I give it 4 stars for storyline, but probably 4.5 for atmosphere. Like the other reviewer I thought it would be interesting to check out the area, but I thought surely the place had been torn down long ago to make way for suburbia, and it seems I was right.

I agree it is, indeed, a shame this book is out of print. Anyone who fancies a good ghost story will absolutely relish "Night Stalks the Mansion". Beside being extremely well written, this story is far more plausible than the (ridiculous)"Amityville Horror" which came out around the same time. While I tend to think "ghostly phenomena" are explained by other causes, my love for such stories completely overrides a skepticism that might otherwise prevent me from reading them. The tragic theme, upon which the story is based, is true and enhances the quality and believability of the tale. For years, I have been tempted to visit Lima, Pennsylvania to catch a glimpse of this mysterious house, however, I understand it was destroyed by fire back in the 80's. Ghost hunters and aficionados alike should definitely try and secure this book through Amazon.com!

The Cameron family's paranormal adventure began with a For Lease ad in a newspaper. Harold Cameron's company had transferred him to Philadelphia shortly after WWII. The family of seven was living in a motel room and having difficulty finding housing. The Mansion with its seventeen rooms and seven additional basement rooms seemed like the perfect solution to their overcrowding problem.

The first ghostly occurrence happened when Harold went to inspect the house after some renovations had been done just before the family moved in. The library door opened and he heard a woman on the stairs despite not being able to see her. The family was to experience much more: cold spots, bad smells, room invasions etc. in their nearly two years occupancy due to an unbreakable lease.

I read some of these other reviews and I wonder what book they read. The house is in Wynne, Pennsylvania just 17 miles outside of Philadelphia on Plum Tree Lane. I have read this book several times. I find the style very appealing in that it reads like a novel but is really a true story. The only thing that could make this book a more enjoyable and exciting read would be photographs of the house, grounds and Cameron family from the time period when they were in residence at the Mansion.

After reading his prior novels (particularly "The Weekend" and "Andorra"), I've come to expect that Peter Cameron's novels will be beautifully crafted and full of rich, human dialogue and insight. Peter Cameron's new novel, "The City of Your Final Destination," met my expectations and then some. Like his other works, "City" is full with wonderful yet unassuming prose and dialogue, and intelligent observations on modern life. What makes "City" really special, though, is its generosity towards its characters and their fortunes. The novel recounts, without any of that easy cynicism, but with lots of humor, an exiled and splintered family's coming to terms with a beguiling offer from a young graduate student who descends upon them unannounced. Never syruppy or sentimental, Cameron warmly shows us what it's like today to try, all at once, to do the right thing by all, the best thing for yourself and, in the process, manage to carve out a little love and happiness. Not an easy task, but when rendered with heart and pluck by Peter Cameron, it makes for great, rewarding reading. Enjoy.

I just read Peter Cameron's new novel after reading its glowing review in the New York Times. I'd read and enjoyed his other novels and short stories, and so I was happy to see that he had a new novel out. This one is more light-hearted than his other books but doesn't sacrifice any of the elements that made the other books satisfying to me. His elegant writing and almost uncanny way with dialogue is still on display. Most important for me, though, is the way Cameron manages to convey so much about his characters in such few words. Each of the characters is interesting and unique. It's a really fine book.

I read this wonderful novel after reading Richard Eder's rave review in The New York Times. For once, a critic's hype was absolutelyl justified. I haven't read a more beautifully written and satisfying -- not to mention howlingly funny -- novel in ages. Peter Cameron gives you everything you want from a novel (or at least everything I want): amazingly complex and sympathetic characters, a gorgeous depiction of scene and event (it's no wonder Eder claims the book would make a fantastic movie -- you can almost see the movie as you read the book, it's so vivid and alive), the smartest, wittiest, most moving dialogue of any contemporary writer, and a hurtling plot that encompasses all sorts of human questions of morals and manners and love. The book is a light as a summer breeze, but has considerable depth -- it is explores its moral quandries with the sort of effortless, sure touch of E. M. Forster. My tastes may be old-fashioned, but I didn't think people were writing novels like this anymore: smart, beautiful, supremely moving. No cynicism or authorial ego here. Yes, it's conventional, but wow is it a wonderful book.

Orson Scott Card is one of my favorite authors, and in some recent Amazon-surfing, I was delighted to discover this Card novel that I'd never heard of. I got a used copy, and I really enjoyed it. The book is based on the 1989 movie "Abyss" by James Cameron, who did "Aliens," "Titanic," and the "Terminator" movies. It's about a deep-sea mission, some cool aliens, and a bunch of interesting people, their relationships, and their deepest personal struggles. I'll probably rent the movie eventually, though I'm guessing I won't like it nearly as much as the book, since a movie can't explore the characters in the same depth.

(A similar undersea sci fi adventure is Michael Crichton's "Sphere," which I didn't like, but the average customer review is 4.5 stars, so if you're into thrillers, you might like it. And I highly recommend most anything by Orson Scott Card, especially "Ender's Game," one of the best science fiction novels ever, and, if you're into religion, "Stone Tables," which is a novelization of the life of Moses.)

The dusk jacket of this novel takes great pains to explain that this is "A Novel by Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Author Orson Scott Card based on an original screenplay by James Cameron." That lengthy description is important because it is trying to make it crystal clear that this is NOT a "novelization" of a screenplay, and to give you some idea what a unique and exquisite book you are reading. Card provides an entirely new dimension to Cameron's screenplay.

I still think the Abyss is James Cameron's best movie, Oscar winning block busters aside, although that other film certainly proves water is his natural element. Displeased with the "cursory, mediocre, often inaccurate, and sometimes downright reprehensible" novelizations he had already read of his films, Cameron determined there would be a NOVEL. In a totally unique process, Card worked from videotapes of the film as the editing progressed, updating his manuscript as scenes were changed, added or cut. In addition to covering everything you see in the film version of "The Abyss," Card made two significant contributions to the story in his novel.

First, he wrote chapters focusing on the three main characters of Buddy, Linsey and Coffee. Each chapter goes back to when they were kids and relates the seminal events that made them the people they grew up to be and brought them to the setting of this story. Cameron was so impressed with these chapters that before filming began he gave them to Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (and you have to wonder what Michael Biehn would have done with the background on Coffey). Second, Card works in the entire story from the side of the alien beings, explaining what they are doing and thinking even when they are not around the humans on Deepcore. Things that you wondered about in the film (How could Coffey survive that great depth and cut the right wire?) will be made clear and the additional scenes add great depth to the film (intentional pun).

It is because of this added dimension that I think you will best enjoy this book after you have seen the film and more specifically the Special Edition or Director's Cut of the film. Of course, I can certainly appreciate that fans of Orson Scott Card might pick up "The Abyss" without any care about the movie. This is not a bad thing either because Card is a first rate imaginative writer, as he has proven from "Ender's Game" to "Enchantment." If you loved the movie, you will love the book. You do not want to miss out on this one.

And that's a pretty strange recommendation to make for a movie novelization, it's supposed to be the other way around. Following writer/director James Cameron's recommendation to write a real novel based on his story rather than just write it in narrative form (which so many writer-for-hire types do) Orson Scott Card crafted a well thought out expansion of the film's story. In addition to having the pre-special edition cut sequences (which go a long way in explaining the abyss's residents motivations and such) Card also contributes some welcome background material for the main characters. In an interesting note about the novel's origins (it was written during filming) Card shares that Cameron actually had the principle actors read their individual character's background material from Card's early drafts to better understand the inner workings he wanted communicated in their performances. Highly recommended.

I bought this book for my husband who could use some lightening up when it comes to our teenage daughters. Glancing through it I found myself laughing my head off. I kept setting it down and picking it up, until I finally gave in and read the entire book. Incredibly a funny true to life! I learned more from this book than I do from many parenting materials. If not for Bruce Cameron I would still be wondering why my daughter connects with her dad like a weed whacker connects with a steal pole. To raise a teen you have to have a sense of humor and here is one dad who is an expert in both humor and being an observant father. Very Funny and fun to read for EVERYONE with a daughter over 10 years of age. An absolute must for EVERY Dad!!!

I guess the truth hurts. She didn't find it funny at all. I, on the other hand, laughed so hard I nearly fell off the couch.

In addition to being EXTREMELY funny, I also found that this book left me with another, rather unexpected feeling: REASSURANCE. Reading his hilarious rants made me realize I'm not alone in facing this completely incomprehensible life form that so strikingly resembles the sweet little girl I've raised for the 12 previous years (but who changed so completely in the last 2).

Read this book. The man knows his subject matter. His description of a daughter's unspoken rules for being dropped at the mall was just TOO accurate - even MY daughter had to grudgingly agree. And his "8 rules" made perfect sense to ME....

A rare combination of truth and humor!

I am neither the mother of a teenage girl or a teenage girl, but I used to be. This is the funniest book I've read in a while. Dave, I mean Bruce hits the nail right on the head. I hope he writes one about raising his son. He sounds like good material all by himself.